Plus, readers talk Tulo with columnist Mark Kiszla.

He’s gone. I’m numb all over. Troy Tulowitzki — who was drafted, raised and elevated to be the face of the Rockies franchise — has been cast aside for an older, more expensive, less-productive shortstop and dreams of pitching. Tulo was the only active player whose jersey I ever bought, because I was sure he would stay with Colorado forever. Tulo was the last remaining piece of the 2007 team that ignited Rocktober and made me a fan for life. Tulo was always trying, always working, always leading.

Brandon, wore No. 2 proudly

Kiz: Had the relationship between Tulo and the Rockies gone stale? Yes. But there’s never a good time to make a bad deal. The pitching prospects received by the Rockies were meager for a star of Tulowitzki’s stature. It’s a reasonable analysis to suggest Jeff Hoffman needs to win 100 big-league games for the Rockies to break even in this deal. Remember when Colorado traded Ubaldo Jimenez in 2011? Back then, Drew Pomeranz was a more-hyped pitching prospect than Hoffman is now, and so far Pomeranz has won only 13 times in the majors.

Good news for Tulo. A Rockies organization in decline has produced only three winning seasons in 15 years. The Tulowitzki trade was the most recent example of moving a good player on a gamble. Juan Pierre, Larry Walker and Matt Holliday went to the World Series after leaving Colorado. That’s good news for Tulo.

Al, repping the 303

Kiz: My guess is Tulowitzki has nearly a 50 percent chance to make the playoffs with Toronto this season, while it might be optimistic to suggest the Rockies have a 50/50 chance to make the playoffs once in the next five seasons.

The Kubiak-Manning connection.

As a business owner, I loved your column on Broncos coach Gary Kubiak’s management of quarterback Peyton Manning. The best clients will always be the most motivated and challenging. They will question and push, and we have to focus their energies in the right areas. If Kubiak can do that with Manning? The Broncos will be unstoppable.

David, Winter Park

Kiz: From time sweating at practice to passes thrown in a game, less Manning can mean more success for Peyton and the Broncos in 2015.

Great show by MLS. And today’s parting shot is a round of applause for Major League Soccer and the stars that came out at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park.

The tempo was so fast, the field looked too small to contain the players from MLS and Tottenham. This is the second-best all-star game behind baseball.

John, lovin’ it